Sri Pada Pics © Dominic Sansoni

From December to April, pilgrims converge to climb the 2,224 m (7,295 ft) Adam's Peak. At the top is a huge 'footprint', claimed by Muslims to belong to Adam, who stood there in expiation of his sin in the Garden of Eden.

Never mind that Buddhists believe it to be the mark of Buddha or that Hindus hold the print to have been made by Lord Shiva (or that Christians claim it is the footprint of St. Thomas); the fact remains that it is has been a place of pilgrimage for over one thousand years.

The view from the peak at dawn is enough to shock the most cynical agnostic into a state of reverie. It takes about four hours to climb to the top from the town of Dalhousie.

Reaching the base of Adam's Peak is simple and if you're making a night ascent, you've got all day to arrive. Buses run to Dalhousie from Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, and Colombo in the pilgrimage season. Otherwise you need to get first to Hatton or Maskeliya. If you're really running late, taxis will take you to Hatton or Dalhousie. You'll need to cover 220 km (136 mi) to get there from Colombo.

• Sri Pada: Myth, Legend and Geography
• Adam's Peak
• Sri Pada: The Legend
• Visit of Alexander the Great to the sacred mount of Sri Pada: Fact or Fiction?
• The Footprint
• The Pilgrimage
• Sunrise from Sri Pada
• Rites of worship on Sri Pada
• Saman Deviyo, Guardian of Sri Pada
• Maha Saman Devale, Ratnapura
• Maha Saman Devala, Kuruvita Korale, Devalegama
• Siri Pada: an historical account
• The Travels of Ibn Batuta: Chapter XX
• Visiting a God
• Sri Pada: Shrouded in legend and history
• The lure of Sri Pada
• Sri Pada: Sanctuary for all Faiths
• It's lovely at the top
• "It's a pilgrimage, not a joyride"
• How safe is the climb up Adam's Peak?
• Guidelines for first-timers
• Related Internet resources